Schuylkill County is known for its scenic beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, farms, rich coal heritage and attractions such as Yuengling Brewery and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

But it is now known for the millions it has paid to settle sexual misconduct lawsuits brought against former commissioner George Halcovage Jr.

Last week, the current board of commissioners approved a $3.2 million settlement with three former employees — Melissa Goodman, Angela Toomey and Denise Gerchak — who accused Halcovage of sexual misconduct. The settlement includes a “nonadmission of liability” by the county and will be paid by the county and its insurance carriers.

It took five long years for the county to get to this point.

In June 2020 the Office of the County Solicitor said the Schuylkill County Human Resources Director Deborah Twigg received serious allegations against Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage, including claims of sexual harassment concerning several female county employees.

One had already retained counsel.

County Administrator Gary Bender and Commissioners Gary J. Hess and Barron Hetherington were notified.

The county conducted an internal investigation, which included numerous interviews and attorneys, all coming at a cost.

The county’s internal investigation concluded that Halcovage has violated the sexual harassment, the conduct and disciplinary action and the physical and verbal abuse policies.

If Halcovage had been a county department head, he would have been suspended or terminated.

However, as an elected official, Halcovage could not be removed from office without a criminal conviction or impeachment.

The matter was referred to the state attorney general, who also investigated and declined to prosecute.

Halcovage maintained his innocence and refused requests from all the commissioners, his political party and state officials who called on him to resign.

State House members — who could have been dealing with containing costs, public safety or tax reform — began to look into impeachment.

But like many government undertakings, impeachment is not an easy or quick process.

Each of the above steps wasted countless taxpayer dollars with officials spending time on depositions, investigations and directives when they should have been spent on projects that could make a difference to residents.

Ultimately, those residents made the decision at the polls, voting Halcovage out of office.

Some costs are not measured in dollars. Employees and residents lost trust in the county and were denied the right to work in a safe place.

Last Wednesday, Commissioner Chairman Larry Padora read a prepared statement.

“Today we remove a cloud that has been hanging over the county for five years,” Padora read.

“But make no mistake, the actions of a single individual have cost Schuylkill County dearly and set the stage for all that followed.”

He said it is time to move on from this sad chapter in Schuylkill history.

Padora said to ensure there is no repeat of the situation, safeguards have been put in place.

“We are proud to have implemented policies, procedures and training for all county employees and elected officials designed to avoid a recurrence of the issues which led to this costly litigation,” Padora said.

The county’s cost of this suit is $1.5 million, plus another $200,000 to settle a previous suit.

The Halcovage incident is still not finished. One lawsuit concerning Jane Doe #5, was just filed, Padora said.

Schuylkill County officials want to put this incident to rest, but they shouldn’t.

It should never be forgotten.

Every municipality should share in this lesson, take a hard look at systems of accountability to make sure a costly incident like this is never repeated.

MARTA GOUGER| TNEDITOR@TNONLINE.COM